There's a good reason why the Mainstream Media all sound much the same, and seem to be pushing the same underlying agenda:

The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists. Many newspapers and broadcasters outside the United States are AP subscribers, paying a fee to use AP material without being contributing members of the cooperative.As of 2005, the news collected by the AP is published and republished by more than 1,700 newspapers, in addition to more than 5,001 television and radio broadcasters. The photograph library of the AP consists of over 10 million images. The Associated Press operates 243 news bureaus, and it serves at least 120 countries, with an international staff located all over the world.

If you live in a modern 'Western' democracy, next time you read the paper, take a look at the bottom for the source of almost every single news report, regardless of the particular newspaper or it's parent company: it will say either AP or Reuters. And so, when I read or listen to MSM (Mainstream Media) I always ask, why have they selected this as newsworthy? How does it make me feel? Angry or sad? (two common reactions). How does this report compare with previous reports on the same issue? etc etc. I find there is usually a reason for what they print. Like a steady 'drip, drip' they gently guide and mold what the masses think, without them even knowing it. Thus I hear quite similar views from many well-intentioned but simple folk in my local area, and I can trace much of their world-view from a particularly low-grade tabloid we have here in Melbourne (yes, it's a Murdoch paper). The amazing thing is, the people whose opinions have been moulded in such a way think that they themselves independently arrived at their views; they don't see how they have been manipulated.

So as has been pointed out here previously, I would be asking who is reporting on these massacres, and what their underlying agenda might be in reporting it - and keeping that generous handful of salt near at hand.

It was very interesting to see the change of attitude of western media during Sri Lanka civil war. For the most part of the war, western media was reporting in favour of Sinhalese and against Tamils, portraying them as terrorists. But when Sinhalese started to recieve Chinese support, the western media started to report against Sinhalese, making completly biased documentaries and even support the idea of Tamil Tigers that Sri Lanka shouldn't be unified.

Regarding the confilct in Myanmar, even media from muslim countries is more objective about it than western media is.

Yes, I had this one in mind. During the war in Balkans there was much more killings and ethnic cleansing than in Sri Lanka, but in beginning nobody cared about it. Western media started to report about it when many thousands of people were already killed. In Sinhalese dominated areas there are many ethnicaly mixed areas full of Tamils, just look at Colombo for example. This would be impossible in the Balkans during the war, people of other ethnicity would be mostly expelled or killed.

My point is that western media started to report about Sinhalese crimes, and ignore the Tamil crimes for political reasons. War crimes just happened all the time from both sides, but the emphasis in reporting about them was changed. And there is kind of western supremacist bias in media, portraying both Sinhalese and Tamils as wild Asians, while ignoring the fact that in the Europe there was much worse and brutal ethnic clansing not so long time ago.

Skeptic wrote:Yes, I had this one in mind. During the war in Balkans there was much more killings and ethnic cleansing than in Sri Lanka, but in beginning nobody cared about it. Western media started to report about it when many thousands of people were already killed. In Sinhalese dominated areas there are many ethnicaly mixed areas full of Tamils, just look at Colombo for example. This would be impossible in the Balkans during the war, people of other ethnicity would be mostly expelled or killed.

My point is that western media started to report about Sinhalese crimes, and ignore the Tamil crimes for political reasons. War crimes just happened all the time from both sides, but the emphasis in reporting about them was changed. And there is kind of western supremacist bias in media, portraying both Sinhalese and Tamils as wild Asians, while ignoring the fact that in the Europe there was much worse and brutal ethnic clansing not so long time ago.

The last days of the Sri Lankan war didn't get much coverage at all in the UK. The above linked program was shown very late at night on a channel 4 (not one of the most widely viewed channels). The actions of the Sri Lankan government were immoral in the extreem and the immoral actions of the Tigers does not mitigate this.

The war in the Balkans did receive wide coverage + intervention + some of the perpetrators have been brought to account.

One would wonder what "monks" are all about, south east asia is full of kilesas and the tradition to wear a robe is nowaday a well used protection to make "effective" politic. I just can recommend to run away if one comes in contact with a seeming Buddhist agent in public or places where they usauly would not appear, especially if they are Asian origin.

Discrimination, nationalism and rasism is a rising phenomena which was not that present the last years (among the most monasteries) but incrases terrible. Here in Cambodia for example a Christian "hunting" campange has started spreed through the network of the religion.

We need to accept that that what is called Buddhism has died short after the last concil in Asia and its artificial survival needs its support. Its is simple a last rear up of a dead heritage.

It is how ever good to give neither this or that opposition food and keep as far away form it. Stay where you are, there is actually enought to care about.

Don't think that Buddhist leader havn't been involved in the history of the last wars and horrors when not even lead to them. When ever a Monk talk about politic and gets involved, simply regard his as not to be a Monk at all.

Just that! *smile*...We Buddhists must find the courage to leave our temples and enter the temples of human experience, temples that are filled with suffering. If we listen to Buddha, Christ, or Gandhi, we can do nothing else. The refugee camps, the prisons, the ghettos, and the battlefields will become our temples. We have so much work to do. ... Peace is Possible! Step by Step. - Samtach Preah Maha Ghosananda "Step by Step" http://www.ghosananda.org/bio_book.html

BUT! it is important to become a real Buddhist first. Like Punna did: Punna Sutta Nate sante baram sokham _()_

No faith into Dhamma and Vinaya is no faith into Dhamma and Vinaya and how ever can in no way be called an action leaded by Bhikkhus. Love and Hate is a wheel and not understanding this one would put other things higher then virtue if there is no anchor in what one accepts as precepts.

Just that! *smile*...We Buddhists must find the courage to leave our temples and enter the temples of human experience, temples that are filled with suffering. If we listen to Buddha, Christ, or Gandhi, we can do nothing else. The refugee camps, the prisons, the ghettos, and the battlefields will become our temples. We have so much work to do. ... Peace is Possible! Step by Step. - Samtach Preah Maha Ghosananda "Step by Step" http://www.ghosananda.org/bio_book.html

BUT! it is important to become a real Buddhist first. Like Punna did: Punna Sutta Nate sante baram sokham _()_

Very simple actually: moha, lobha, dosa. Its just that people think they them self or others are free of it.

Just that! *smile*...We Buddhists must find the courage to leave our temples and enter the temples of human experience, temples that are filled with suffering. If we listen to Buddha, Christ, or Gandhi, we can do nothing else. The refugee camps, the prisons, the ghettos, and the battlefields will become our temples. We have so much work to do. ... Peace is Possible! Step by Step. - Samtach Preah Maha Ghosananda "Step by Step" http://www.ghosananda.org/bio_book.html

BUT! it is important to become a real Buddhist first. Like Punna did: Punna Sutta Nate sante baram sokham _()_

On the first hand please understand Dana (it is not a way to help the guilty conscience which comes form group identification) and help from outside directed to the children (as a synonym for unwise and lower in level of respect) is just putting oil into the fire and break the sociaty apart. Even well meant, western (better modern) people do not easily understand Asian culture. If you are able to support and teach the father and mother it might help. There is no free will in a dimension we might see it for those people and it is the reason of toubles because the unwise get more and more feeling of being able to act.

Today south asian people are not people who run altruistic projects (they also did less in the past, there wa just a working together for the group), it is all a matter of power and reputation and especial those so modern youthgroups are mainly pools of politic no different of the young generations of monks.

Just that! *smile*...We Buddhists must find the courage to leave our temples and enter the temples of human experience, temples that are filled with suffering. If we listen to Buddha, Christ, or Gandhi, we can do nothing else. The refugee camps, the prisons, the ghettos, and the battlefields will become our temples. We have so much work to do. ... Peace is Possible! Step by Step. - Samtach Preah Maha Ghosananda "Step by Step" http://www.ghosananda.org/bio_book.html

BUT! it is important to become a real Buddhist first. Like Punna did: Punna Sutta Nate sante baram sokham _()_

I don't believe that anyone who deliberately kills or harms others, who destroys their property, who makes them homeless is a follower of the Buddha's Dhamma ... no matter whether they call themselves Buddhists or not.'''What Makes You A Buddhist?'

...........The Buddhist practice of nonviolence is not merely submissiveness with a smile or meek thoughtfulness. The fundamental cause of violence is when one is fixated on an extreme idea, such as justice or morality. This fixation usually stems from a habit of buying into dualistic views, such as bad and good, ugly and beautiful, moral and immoral. One’s inflexible self-righteousness takes up all the space that would allow empathy for others. Sanity is lost. Understanding that all these views or values are compounded and impermanent, as is the person who holds them, violence is averted. When you have no ego, no clinging to the self, there is never a reason to be violent. When one understands that one’s enemies are held under a powerful influence of their own ignorance and aggression, that they are trapped by their habits, it is easier to forgive them for their irritating behavior and actions. Similarly, if someone from the insane asylum insults you, there is no point in getting angry. When we transcend believing in the extremes of dualistic phenomena, we have transcended the causes of violence..........''http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?o ... 5&Itemid=0

with metta and karuna,Chris

---The trouble is that you think you have time------Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe------It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---